In 1894, the Erie County Legislature passed an Act that gave rise to the Homeopathic State Hospital, later known as the Gowanda Psychiatric Center, in Gowanda and Collins, New York.[1] Land purchased for the State Hospital by Erie County included 500 acres and was known as the Taylor Tract.[1] When the State Care Act was effected in 1894, the land was transferred to the State of New York, which then conveyed it to the State Hospital.[1] The hospital was located Taylor Hollow Road, which was named for the farmer who used to own the land.[1]

In 1982, 40% of the original 500 acres of the Gowanda Psychiatric Center was utilized for the Collins Correctional Facility.[2][3] The Gowanda Correctional Facility was built using the remaining acreage and opened its doors in 1994.[2][3] The two prisons are separated by a fence, and they are administered independently.[2][3] Gowanda Correctional Facility houses more than 2,300 inmates,[2][3] and is the second-largest prison in New York State.[2][3]

^ abcdHistorical sketch of the Village of Gowanda, N.Y. in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of its incorporation, August 8, 1898, Buffalo, NY: The Matthews-Northrup Company, Leonard, I.R., Reprinted 1998, Salem, MA: Higginson Book Company